E-Sports Club
The 8-Bit Side of G.H.S.
By Juan A. Cisneros
We have all seen the papers on the wall encouraging volunteers to join the E-sports club we have on our campus and wonder, “What is it all about anyways?” Bruins, we are not the only ones who thought this. Luckily, we will see what the club offers together and learn more about it. After all, maybe our readers are interested in joining an exclusive club that according to gamer website Iven Global only exists in about two percent of the schools in the United States.
Why E-Sports and What’s Included?
Like other clubs, there was some interest in competitive gaming that led to its creation. The E-sports club was formed to produce a new way to compete in our school. The club is advised by our Graphic Design/Photography teacher, Mr. Turek. Mr. Radcliff helped with the initial formation of the club. This reporter contributed as well by suggesting some games (that I play in my free time) that eventually were added to the final vision of the club. Mr. Radcliff sought this journalist out for that very purpose, and it is curious how he knew that I was interested in games in the first place.
Speaking of games, the club plays many, including Super Smash Bros Ultimate, Splatoon 3, Overwatch, Mortal Kombat, and. These selections are said to be the popular choices for the students inside the club. Starting with Super Smash Bros Ultimate, it is a crossover fighting game that is unique, instead of depleting the health of a fighter, a player damages them high enough that they get smacked out of the stage. Second is Splatoon 3, a unique spin into the shooter genre. The player uses your ink to cover areas and the team that controls the most with their ink wins the game. The club also plays Overwatch, a hero-based combat FPS game that involves teams of two battling each other to complete objectives. Mortal Kombat is one of the most brutal of the selections, it is a fighting game, and it is most famous for its graphics, character designs, and its brutal fights. Lastly, Mario Kart 8 Deluxe is a karting game that starts off simply enough and turns into total chaos during the final wave of the race.
One Student’s Opinion
That is one good part of the E-sports club, it is not centered on one game and is fresh in selections for any student to play and open themselves up. It would have been at its full potential if it were not for its problems. Participant of the E-sports club, Emanuel Cordero talked to The Bruin’s Eye about it. He told us that it “lacked players” for some games, for the one he plays, Super Smash Bros Ultimate. Cordero also mentioned that the club is behind in “participants and budget,” Cordero also complained that “it has slow internet” and is lacking in what it can achieve if it lacks people. I can agree, from what I saw, it lacks due to it not being talked about that much on campus. Also from Cordero, he says that it is “fun and stressful.” He also stated that the competition in it is real and can be particularly challenging, which is what brings fun into it in the first place. The game he plays, (Which is the main reason he joined) Super Smash Bros Ultimate, is the main source of the stress based on the gameplay and how precise your reaction must be. This asks the question, does the game selection prefer more competitive play or teamwork-based play?
The games on the list, from what I know, are competitive play and do lack teamwork. FPS games, for example, are the competitive type. Even though you are put in teams, the game heavily encourages you to play competitively instead of teamwork-based due to its ranking system at the end of matches. Emanuel Cordero also pointed out that some might need teamwork-based play, like Super Smash Bros Ultimate to win the game in a 2v2 match, as that game does not have an MVP-type trophy at the end of matches, perhaps the competitive environment scares away players who would like to play games just to relax.
How Can We Recruit More Players?
Improvements for something that is failing are something important, like in business and economics. First, it lacks the appeal in the promotional posters that encourage people to join, not describing it well, as one bystander who was overheard when viewing one of the posters at school once said, “It looks so bland.” Second, following the ladder lacks effective marketing and is still a bit obscure to people on campus. Lastly, the competitive games mostly take over the roster of games the club has. Personally, I prefer it to have more teamwork-based games, RTS games are the leading genre of games that require teamwork to win. It is also recommended that it expands the genre not just teamwork-based but for everyone, so it is player-friendly.
The E-sports club has exciting potential if it has the people to join, but if this keeps going, I am predicting dire consequences will come if the main flaws are not dealt with. People should try new things more often on our school campus, but they seem to either lack interest or are mostly introverted in trying out new hobbies. If this problem continues, they might cancel events or their own existence altogether. My concluding thoughts about it are that it is good in concept but poorly advertised/promoted to bring attention or the game on the list seems too competitive for inexperienced players to try.